Contents
Mini-Case Histories
Joe Louvar and Durai Dakshinamoorthy (Wayne State University)
This product emphasizes learning from history or being doomed to repeat it. It includes three sections:
- Mini-Case Histories
- Process Safety Beacon
- Safety Concepts
as described below:
Mini-Case Histories: There are eight PowerPoint presentations, with notes, that cover the accidents at Bhopal, Monsanto, Phillips, Flixborough, Morton, Tosco, Hickson, and Sonat. The root causes of each accident are included, such as, poor designs, lack of training, and poor management. The information summarized in these case histories was taken from SACHE products, and reports by the Chemical Safety Board.
Process Safety Beacon: The Center for Chemical Process Safety is publishing monthly, one-page case histories or lessons learned. They are available on the Internet via CCPS Beacon. A few of the Beacons are included in this product to remind readers that these lessons are available.
Safety Concepts: This product includes six PowerPoint presentations: Relief Valves; Prevent Runaway Reactions; Manage Design, Construction, and Operations; BLEVEs; Explosions; and Prevent Explosions. The concepts covered are those that are especially relevant to chemical plant accidents.
The Mini-Case Histories and Safety Concepts were developed in a PowerPoint format to give users the opportunity to add slides or lessons as desired.
Rupture of a Nitroaniline Reactor
Sponsor: Ronald J. Willey (Northeastern University)
This case study of the rupture of a nitroaniline reactor demonstrates safety concepts that are especially important to both new and experienced engineers including:
- Runaway reactions need to be understood and appropriately controlled to prevent major losses.
- A Safety review is an important process for identifying potential problems and developing approaches to solve the problems.
- Redundant controls are needed in critical applications.
- Relief systems consisting of a rupture disk followed by a spring operated relief valve must be properly installed and maintained.
- Training operators and engineers to recognize the consequences of operating errors is important.
- Management decisions to override safety systems must be thoroughly thought through before implementation of such action.
The lessons of this product are very important, and they will be true and relevant forever. The PowerPoint presentation in this product includes problems (with solutions for the instructor). A pdf document provides background for the presentation.
Case History: A Batch Polystyrene Reactor Runaway
Sponsor: Ron Willey (Northeastern University)
This case history describes a runaway reaction that occurred in a batch reactor manufacturing polystyrene. Companies now use semi-batch reactors (or stepwise addition of reactants) for such highly exothermic reactions. This case history emphasizes the importance of carefully analyzing and controlling exothermic reactions. When control is lost, the consequences can be catastrophic – for this case, a large fire due to an uncontrolled release of a flammable material, or to large reactor explosions (a nitroaniline reactor explosion case history in another SACHE product).
In this case study, lessons learned include:
- use of redundant process control equipment with audible alarms,
- use of semi-automated discharge systems,
- maintenance of critical process control equipment,
- develop, manage, and test emergency procedures,
- understand the hazardous characteristics of exothermic reactions,
- understand that semi-batch reactors should be used for highly exothermic reactions, and
- use of the Dow Fire and Explosion Index to identify and eliminate potential design and operating problems.
This case history is in a PowerPoint format that includes notes. The presentation can be used in reactor kinetics or design courses.
Solutions to Student Problem Set Volume 1
Sponsors: J. R. Welker and C. Springer (University of Arkansas)
"Safety, Health, and Loss Prevention in Chemical Processes - Problems for Undergraduate Engineering Curricula" Volume 1 was originally published by CCPS in 1990. Copies were given to universities and sold to industry. This was a very popular and valued product that is currently out of print. J. Wagner (Oklahoma State University) recently put this product in electronic format for distribution here. The problems are available via the Links menu on this site and to students logged into the site.
The 90 problems involve issues of safety, health, and loss prevention and provide students and new engineers with important insights to industrial processes. This material can also be used as a reference for industrial courses for new engineering employees. These safety problems and solutions further demonstrate that safety and health issues are handled with basic engineering principles and logic. Finally, through the use of this material, we hope to instill in students and engineers an increased recognition of the importance of chemical process safety and the recognition that they have the professional and ethical responsibility to provide safe chemical plants, processes and products.
The problems were designed to use in existing engineering courses, such as: stoichiometry, material balance, mass transfer, heat transfer, thermodynamics, process control, and design courses. The authors believe that it is important that students work on these problems while attending there undergraduate courses and throughout their education. This process should develop a safety culture within engineers that will help them throughout their careers.
Solutions to Student Problem Set Volume 2
Sponsors:
R. Willey (Northeastern University)
D. Crowl (Michigan Tech University)
R. Welker (University of Arkansas)
R. Darby (Texas A&M University)
"Safety, Health, and Loss Prevention in Chemical Processes - Volume 2" was originally published by CCPS in 2002 and distributed to SACHE University Members. This was a very popular and valued product that is now out of print. R. Willey recently put this volume in electronic form for distribution here.
Like the Volume 1 problems, the 218 problems teach safety, health, and loss prevention. This solution set represents problems and solutions produced by SACHE in the period 1990 to 2000.
The problems were designed for use in existing engineering courses, such as: Stoichiometry, Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Kinetics, Heat Transfer, Process Dynamics and Control, Computer Solutions, and Mass Transfer. The authors believe that including these problems in a required undergraduate course helps engineering students develop a safety culture and mind set that will benefit them throughout their careers.